INTERNACIONAL
Britain introduces sweeping new powers to target foreign state-linked groups including Iran’s IRGC
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Britain is moving to give authorities sweeping new powers to target foreign state-linked groups as officials warn of growing threats tied to Iran and other hostile governments.
The National Security (State Threats) Bill introduced Tuesday would give the UK government new powers to crack down on foreign state-linked organizations involved in activities such as assassination plots, surveillance and sabotage. The legislation could potentially be used against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRCG), though officials have not indicated whether the group would be among the first organizations designated.
The proposal comes as British intelligence officials warn of increasing Iran-backed activity inside the UK. Last year, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said the security service had tracked more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots and recorded a 35% increase in state-threat investigations.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood meet with security and justice officials at 10 Downing Street on April 30, 2026. The UK government this week introduced legislation that could be used against foreign state-linked groups, including potentially Iran’s IRGC. (Dan Kitwood/PA Images via Getty Images)
Under the legislation, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood would have the authority to designate groups responsible for what the government calls «foreign power threat activity.» Supporting designated organizations or accepting money from them could carry prison sentences of up to 14 years.
British authorities have also investigated possible Iranian links to several recent incidents, including arson attacks targeting Jewish sites. The UK has separately secured convictions against individuals accused of spying for or acting on behalf of Russian and Chinese entities.
The bill would create a new framework for tackling threats posed by foreign governments and their proxies, an area critics say Britain’s existing counterterrorism laws were not designed to address.
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Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, attends a meeting in Tehran in this file photo. Britain this week introduced legislation that could be used to designate foreign state-linked groups, including potentially Iran’s IRGC. (Press office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei/Getty Images)
Labour MP Luke Akehurst, one of Parliament’s leading advocates for action against the IRGC, said the organization presents a unique challenge because it operates as part of the Iranian state.
«As well as brutally repressing freedoms within Iran, the IRGC poses a dangerous threat here in the UK, which our existing terrorism proscription regime was ill-equipped to deal with as it is a state actor,» Akehurst told The Jerusalem Post.
The Thames House headquarters of MI5 in London on Nov. 18, 2025. Britain’s domestic security service has warned of growing state-backed threats, including more than 20 Iran-backed plots uncovered in the UK, as lawmakers consider new legislation targeting foreign state-linked groups. (Betty Laura Zapata/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Supporters of the legislation argue it would close gaps in Britain’s ability to target hostile state-backed actors without relying solely on terrorism laws.
If approved, the legislation could take effect as soon as next month, with officials expected to make a limited number of designations during the law’s first year.
united kingdom, iran, legislation, national security, counter terrorism
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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., is continuing to deny looming questions over an Ethics Committee investigation into her financial filings, showing a significant drop in her net worth.
Scrutiny of Omar’s finances intensified after financial disclosure filings appeared to show her estimated net worth falling from a range of roughly $6 million to $30 million in one filing period to between about $18,000 and $95,000 in a later disclosure.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has publicly voiced his interest in the House Ethics Committee opening an investigation into both Omar’s personal finances and her connection to the ‘Feeding Our Future’ fraud scheme, a scandal that federal prosecutors say cost taxpayers roughly $250 million.
JAMES COMER RAISES FELONY QUESTIONS OVER ILHAN OMAR’S FINANCES AFTER DISCLOSURE DISCREPANCY
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has asked Vice President JD Vance to scrutinize fraud prevention deficiencies in Minnesota’s social services programs after the release Monday of his committee’s 205-page final staff report. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Omar dismissed suggestions that she is facing an Ethics Committee investigation.
«No,» Omar told Fox News Digital, laughing, when asked if she is under an Ethics Committee investigation. «No. We go over this all the time.»
She was pressed about continued reporting surrounding the discrepancy — the possibility of the roughly $29 million drop in her financial disclosure.
«There’s also the possibility that it might rain on this sunny day,» Omar replied.
Along with Comer’s efforts to launch an investigation into Omar, Vice President JD Vance said just last month that the U.S. Department of Justice will be opening a probe into the Minnesota Democrat’s alleged fraud as part of the administration’s new anti-fraud taskforce.
OMAR CAMP BREAKS SILENCE ON FRAUD PROBE, BLAMES WALZ, TRUMP AS NEW CLAIMS CLASH WITH EARLIER STATEMENTS
Rep. Ilhan Omar dismissed Vice President JD Vance’s claims that the Justice Department is investigating her for alleged immigration and fraud violations, referring to House Republicans attention to the matter as politically motivated. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Omar has declined ever being aware of the scheme happening behind doors with the organization, which claimed to be helping supply children in need of meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Justice Department described the scheme as the «single largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country,» The Associated Press reported. The orchestrator of the non-profit, Aimee Bock, was sentenced to 42 years in prison for her involvement in spearheading the fraud scheme.
Republicans have pointed to Omar’s MEALS Act, part of a federal pandemic relief measure which she sponsored, as a factor they say contributed to conditions that allowed the fraud to occur. They argue her bill was a mass contributor to the fraud occurring as it broadened USDA waiver authority at meal sites. It has also been claimed that this same act helped to dismantle anti-fraud safeguards that verified the people actually being serviced in federal nutrition programs.
ILHAN OMAR’S OFFICE SAYS SHE’S ‘NOT A MILLIONAIRE’ AFTER $30M FILING REVISED DOWN TO UNDER $100K: REPORT
Rep. Ilhan Omar speaks at Karmel Mall in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 28, 2026. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
In a previous statement to Fox News Digital from Omar, she claimed that President Donald Trump’s USDA Secretary, Brooke Rollins, imposed the regulations for the framework of the program.
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While Omar continues to reject suggestions time-after-time that she is facing an Ethics Committee investigation, Republicans have shown little sign of backing away from their demands for a proper investigation into Omar’s finances and fraud allegations.
corruption crime, congress, ilhan omar, minnesota fraud exposed, investigations
INTERNACIONAL
Israel descartó el fin de la guerra contra Irán y advirtió sobre una respuesta “severa” ante nuevos ataques
El ministro de Defensa israelí, Israel Katz, afirmó este miércoles que la confrontación militar con Irán está lejos de haber concluido y sostuvo que las fuerzas de su país mantienen plena capacidad para lanzar nuevas operaciones contra objetivos iraníes en caso de que se registren ataques contra el Estado hebreo.
Durante una ceremonia oficial de reconocimiento organizada por el Ministerio de Defensa, Katz se refirió a la reciente escalada regional y envió un mensaje de advertencia a Teherán.
“No debemos pensar que el trabajo está terminado. La campaña contra Irán está lejos de haber terminado”, declaró el funcionario ante los asistentes.
Sus palabras llegan después de varios días de tensión en Medio Oriente marcados por intercambios de ataques, amenazas cruzadas y movimientos militares en distintos frentes de la región. Aunque en las últimas horas no se registraron enfrentamientos de gran magnitud entre ambos países, las autoridades israelíes insisten en que la situación sigue siendo inestable.
Katz señaló que Israel responderá con dureza ante cualquier nueva acción militar iraní.
“Si Irán ataca a Israel, sufrirá un golpe severo, como el que le infligimos hace unos días”, afirmó. También aseguró que las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel “están preparadas para atacar con gran fuerza en Irán” si las circunstancias lo requieren.
Las declaraciones reflejan la postura del gobierno israelí de mantener la presión sobre la República Islámica tras la reciente crisis entre ambos países. Si bien existieron versiones sobre la posible cancelación de una operación militar de gran escala contra territorio iraní, Katz dejó en claro que las capacidades ofensivas israelíes continúan disponibles y que la conducción política no considera cerrado el episodio.
El ministro también dedicó parte de su discurso a la situación en el Líbano, donde Israel mantiene operaciones contra Hezbollah. Según explicó, las fuerzas israelíes llevaron a cabo acciones contra integrantes de la organización terrorista en la ciudad costera de Tiro, en el sur libanés.
Katz aseguró que las operaciones permitieron actuar contra miembros de Hezbollah que operaban en un barrio de mayoría cristiana. De acuerdo con su versión, los residentes de esa zona comenzaron a regresar a sus viviendas después de que las fuerzas israelíes atacaran objetivos vinculados al grupo armado.
El funcionario aprovechó además para elogiar el desempeño de los militares israelíes en distintos escenarios de combate. Sostuvo que las tropas han infligido “golpes duros” a Hezbollah durante los últimos enfrentamientos y destacó la actuación de las unidades desplegadas tanto en territorio israelí como fuera de sus fronteras.
Las declaraciones del ministro se producen en un contexto de alta sensibilidad regional. El pasado fin de semana, Irán lanzó varias andanadas de misiles contra Israel como respuesta a bombardeos israelíes en Beirut. Teherán justificó esas acciones argumentando que los ataques contra la capital libanesa afectaban uno de los principales límites que había fijado para evitar una expansión del conflicto.
En respuesta, Israel llevó a cabo ataques contra objetivos iraníes y rechazó públicamente cualquier intento de vincular los acontecimientos del frente libanés con las decisiones militares adoptadas por Jerusalén. Katz ya había expresado esa posición el lunes, cuando aseguró que su país continuaría actuando en el Líbano pese a las advertencias formuladas por la República Islámica.
Desde entonces, ambos gobiernos han mantenido un intercambio de amenazas mientras observan de cerca la evolución de los acontecimientos en el norte de Israel y el sur del Líbano. Aunque Irán anunció la suspensión de sus ataques, las autoridades israelíes no han declarado el final de sus operaciones ni consideran cerrada la confrontación. Las palabras de Katz refuerzan esa postura y muestran que, para el gobierno israelí, la posibilidad de nuevas acciones militares contra Irán sigue sobre la mesa.
International,Relations,Diplomacy / Foreign Policy,Europe
INTERNACIONAL
Colombian lawmakers seek suspension of Trump foe Gustavo Petro over alleged meddling in upcoming election
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Colombian lawmakers are considering a proposal that would temporarily suspend President Gustavo Petro from office amid an investigation into allegations that he improperly intervened in the country’s presidential election.
Gloria Arizabaleta, president of Colombia’s Commission of Investigation and Accusation, filed a motion Wednesday seeking to suspend Petro from his duties through June 21, according to a document published by the commission.
The proposal stems from an ongoing probe into allegations that Petro engaged in political meddling during the campaign and cites conduct described as «extremely serious or serious.»
Petro, whose four-year term is set to expire in August, has been accused of involvement in the presidential campaign of leftist candidate Ivan Cepeda, who represents Petro’s Pacto Historico coalition.
US SANCTIONS COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT AND FAMILY OVER DRUG TRAFFICKING ALLEGATIONS
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro delivers a speech during a troop recognition ceremony at the Jose Maria Cordova Military Cadet School in Bogota on March 11, 2025. (Raul Arboleda/AFP via Getty Images)
Cepeda is scheduled to face conservative attorney Abelardo De La Espriella in a June 21 runoff election.
The race is being closely watched in Washington because Colombia remains one of the United States’ closest security partners in Latin America and a key ally in counternarcotics efforts. The country has long been central to U.S.-backed efforts to combat drug trafficking and organized crime throughout the region.
The suspension proposal faces significant hurdles before it can take effect. Lawmakers and legal experts said the measure would first need approval from all 16 members of the Commission of Investigation and Accusation before advancing to Colombia’s Senate for further consideration.
ANTI-CARTEL HARDLINER CHANNELS TRUMP IN BID TO END COLOMBIA’S LEFTIST ERA IN PIVOTAL ELECTION
Colombia’s Congress in Bogota. Lawmakers are considering a proposal that would temporarily suspend President Gustavo Petro amid an investigation into alleged election interference. (Rodrigo BUENDIA / AFP via Getty Images)
«President Gustavo Petro has not been suspended; he remains in office,» commission member Miguel Silvera Padilla said in a video statement, according to Reuters.
The Commission of Investigation and Accusation, which operates within Colombia’s lower house of Congress, is responsible for reviewing complaints and potential criminal or disciplinary charges against high-ranking government officials.
Petro has repeatedly faced scrutiny from political opponents during his presidency, though the latest proposal comes less than two weeks before Colombians head to the polls to choose his successor.
Ivan Cepeda speaks during a campaign rally in Cali, Colombia, on June 6, 2026. The leftist candidate is set to face conservative attorney Abelardo De La Espriella in Colombia’s June 21 presidential runoff election. (AFP via Getty Images)
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The runoff election between Cepeda and De La Espriella is expected to help determine whether voters continue Petro’s leftist political project or shift toward a more conservative approach to security and governance.
Representatives for Petro did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
colombia, corruption, investigations, elections
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